Norfolk SEND Survey 2022 - You Said, We Did
In 2022 the population of Norfolk children and young people who have been identified with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) was about 24,000.
Using our first Norfolk SEND survey, we set out to find out the views of children and young people, parents and carers and professionals. Our survey had 1,203 responses in total:
- 759 parent carers
- 62 children and young people aged 11-25-years-old
- 382 professionals
We appreciate the time and effort taken by all the respondents who got involved and told us what they thought of SEND services and support in Norfolk. We have a clear ambition to reach even more people in our next survey, particularly more children and young people.
Here is a snapshot of what you said in 2022 and what we did about it.
Health
You said...
25% of parents/carers told us that waiting times for health assessments and diagnosis are too long which is leading to their children's needs not being identified quickly.
We did...
We improved support and information for families on neurodevelopmental pathways waiting lists and recruited more staff.
You said...
72% of parents/carers said some children are not getting the right help and information to support their mental wellbeing.
We did...
NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board has run a wide-ranging survey to find out what families' experiences of mental health support has been and including the barriers they have faced.
Preparing for adult life
You said...
Some children and young people didn't feel they had received support to plan for their future to get ready for their next steps in education, training and employment.
We did...
We created a new section for young people with SEND on the careers website Help You Choose (opens new window), which supports young people in Norfolk with information, advice and careers.
Communication
You said...
Only 28% of parents/carers said they found information about services easy to understand.
We did...
We worked with parent carer groups to produce a SEND Communications toolkit, which has already achieved more than 590 engagements, to promote best practice amongst professionals across the system.
You said...
22% of parents/carers told us they don't use the internet to find services and support.
We did...
We increased attendance by more than 50% at our face-to-face making sense of SEND events hosting them at venues around the county with a new marketplace format showcasing different services and support each time with an opportunity to chat with professionals.
You said...
78% of the parent/carers who told us they use the internet to find services and support said Facebook was the platform they used most.
We did...
We invested in a Facebook campaign which reached 70,000 people, with 8,000 post engagements and increased our Norfolk SEND Facebook page followers from 650 to 2,450.
Participation
You said...
67% of parents/carers have not given feedback on services in the last 12 months either because they hadn't been asked or because they weren't confident anything would change.
We did...
We have held two face-to-face participation days for young people, promoted opportunities to shape services across the system and worked together with parent carer groups and young people to create a new SEND participation strategy which has been awarded a quality mark by young people.
Education
You said...
42% of parents/carers felt their child's needs had not been clearly identified by SEND professionals.
We did...
We developed Identification of Needs Descriptors in Education Settings (INDES) which have been used 7,000 times by 364 schools in Norfolk. INDES is a common language of standardised terms to help education professionals quickly identify and understand needs.
You said...
38% of parents/carers said their child or young person was not in a place of learning where they could make progress.
We did...
The council's Inclusion and Opportunity team is working more closely with schools as part of the new Local First Inclusion programme to improve SEN Support plans for children and introduced a new way for all schools to evaluate their SEND support and help them understand how they can improve - 383 have engaged so far.
You said...
Only 53% of parents/carers said their child's Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) made a positive difference to their lives.
We did...
We are regularly examining EHCPs for quality and have increased the number of plans rated good by 39% with the number found inadequate down to three per cent.
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